Renovations ahead for Takoma Park City Hall

The coming months will see additional renovations at City Hall in Takoma Park. Changes will be primarily focused on the lower level of the atrium. The Takoma Park City police department will be expanding into that lower level. A new floor slab and structural supports will be installed to create the functional space for the police, that is being claimed from the open atrium's vertical space. A storage room on the upper level will also be expanded in size. 

Landscaping supply store broken into in Burtonsville

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a burglary at a landscaping supply business in Burtonsville on December 29, 2025. The burglary was reported at SiteOne Landscape Supply at 4100 Sandy Spring Road at 6:00 AM. Officers arriving at the scene found evidence of forced entry at the business. Unspecified property was stolen. Police say they have no suspect descriptions at this time, but did not indicate how the burglar(s) managed to evade surveillance cameras. If you have any information that could assist detectives in closing this case, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Indecent exposure in Wheaton

Montgomery County police responded to a report of indecent exposure in the Wheaton Triangle Friday night, January 16, 2026. The incident was reported at 8:14 PM Friday in the 11200 block of Triangle Lane. It took place at a retail establishment there.

Assault at Wheaton Library

Montgomery County police were called to the Wheaton Library at 11701 Georgia Avenue late yesterday afternoon, January 16, 2026. A 2nd-degree assault took place at the facility around 5:02 PM Friday. An individual was accused of theft in the same incident.

Quick Printing burglarized in Wheaton

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a burglary at Quick Printing at 2410 Blueridge Avenue in Wheaton on December 26, 2025. The burglary occurred at 7:46 PM that evening. Officers responding to the scene found evidence of forced entry at the business. Unspecified property was taken from inside.

Police describe the alleged burglar only as a Black male of unknown age. If you have any information that could assist detectives in closing this case, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Alleged porch pirate arrested in Silver Spring

Montgomery County police arrested a man Tuesday morning in the Fairland area of Silver Spring, after linking him to a series of thefts that occurred over the previous night. Casey Stewart Boston, 36, hometown not disclosed by police, was taken into custody in the 14100 block of Castle Boulevard. Police allege he was in possession of packages stolen from homes, and of property stolen from vehicles in the area. A witness told police they had observed Boston looking into vehicles. Boston was charged with multiple counts of theft and rogue and vagabond, and was released on bond on Wednesday, January 14.

Assault at apartment building in White Oak

Montgomery County police were called to an apartment property in the White Oak area of Silver Spring yesterday afternoon, January 13, 2026. Someone reported having been the victim of an assault in the building's parking lot. The assault was reported at 2:21 Tuesday in the 11700 block of Old Columbia Pike. White Oak Towers is located at 11700 Old Columbia Pike.

Michael & Son billboard reactivated in Kensington

A digital billboard that stirred up a minor controversy last winter is back on in Kensington. The roadside sign is at the office of Michael & Son at 3511 University Boulevard West, and advertises the high-profile HVAC, plumbing, and electrical repair service provider. Some nearby residents had complained that light from the billboard was shining into their windows at night, and it was turned off at the end of March. On a pocketbook note, the heating tuneup advertised is $10 less than it was last winter. A price going down is a rare thing these days!

Burtonsville Quickway Japanese Hibachi construction update (Photos)

Another "sign" of progress has appeared at Quickway Japanese Hibachi at 15616 Old Columbia Pike at Burtonsville Town Square. Permanent signage has been installed above the storefront of the restaurant. An opening date still has yet to be announced. Quickway's menu offers hibachi dishes, bento boxes, and sushi, but not the ingredient MSG.

White Oak Tobacco Zone burglarized

Montgomery County police responded to a burglar alarm at White Oak Tobacco Zone at 13456 New Hampshire Avenue in the White Oak area of Silver Spring in the early morning hours of December 18, 2025. Officers arriving at the scene found evidence of forced entry at the store. Merchandise was stolen from inside the business. Police describe the suspects only as "5 males." If you have any information that could assist detectives in closing this case, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Assault in Aspen Hill

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault in Aspen Hill early yesterday morning, January 9, 2026. The assault was reported in the 3900 block of Bel Pre Road at 1:05 AM Friday. It took place along the street.

Maryland's MARC earns F grade in survey of America's commuter rail systems

Trains magazine, a publication that provides in-depth coverage of the passenger and freight railroad industries, recently used federal transit data to rate America's commuter rail systems. Maryland's MARC commuter rail received a failing F grade, ranking it as one of the nation's worst. In contrast, Virginia Railway Express earned a B.

The magazine noted that MARC service expanded during the 1990s, and that the state made great effort to update train equipment during the gubernatorial terms of William Donald Schaefer and Parris Glendening. This century, the picture has turned far bleaker for Maryland rail commuters.

Trains found MARC ridership dropped 64% between 2018 and 2023. MARC now has the worst cost efficiency, and the poorest mechanical reliability record of any medium size commuter railroad in the country. In other words, Maryland is at rock bottom in commuter rail service. The magazine summed up its analysis of MARC by saying, "it's tough to find a silver lining."

Reporter John Friedmann described the criteria and data utilized in the magazine's survey as follows: Each railroad was graded on the same five criteria. Efficiency was calculated by the operating cost per passenger mile. Utilization, or how much do passengers utilize the network, was measured by the number of passenger miles per route mile. Growth was determined by a comparison of 2018 ridership versus 2023 ridership. Relevance was measured by number of rail trips per area resident. And reliability was rated by the number of mechanical failures per train mile.

All data was compiled from the Federal Transit Administration's National Transit Database.

Not surprisingly, the Long Island Railroad and Metro-North Railroad in New York earned an A grade in the survey. So did commuter systems in Salt Lake City and Denver, railroads that aren't discussed as often as their more famous counterparts like the MBTA, Metra, and SEPTA, all of which scored below the Utah and Colorado lines in this survey - but far higher than our beleagured MARC. Can it get any worse for Maryland? Yes! Beyond a massive structural budget deficit forecast, any Purple Line financial losses will siphon even more money from MARC over the coming decades.

Silver Spring church broken into

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a burglary at a church in the White Oak area of Silver Spring on December 18, 2025. The burglary was reported at Saint Stephen Lutheran Church at 11612 New Hampshire Avenue. Officers responding to the scene found evidence of forced entry at the house of worship. They determined that property had been stolen from inside the church.

Detectives believe the break-in occurred between 7:00 PM on December 17, and 7:00 AM on December 18. No suspect descriptions have been released. If you have any information about this incident, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Car stolen from home in Silver Spring

Montgomery County police responded to a report of stolen vehicle in Silver Spring early yesterday morning, January 6, 2026. The vehicle was reported stolen from a home in the 12700 block of Goodhill Road at 4:46 AM Tuesday. That is in the Connecticut Avenue Estates neighborhood near Weller Road.

Assault at Wheaton Plaza

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at Wheaton Plaza early yesterday evening, January 5, 2026. The assault was reported at the mall at 6:25 PM Monday. It took place in the Giant grocery store.

Armed carjacking in Silver Spring

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed carjacking in the Long Branch area of Silver Spring this past Saturday night, January 3, 2026. The carjacking was reported in the 8800 block of Piney Branch Road at 9:48 PM Saturday. It took place in the parking lot of an apartment complex.

Robbery at knifepoint in Silver Spring

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery in the Rosemary Hills area of Silver Spring last Thursday morning, January 1, 2026. The robbery was reported in the yard of a home in the 8500 block of Grubb Road at 6:00 AM Thursday. A knife was the weapon employed in robbery.

T.J. Maxx closing today in Silver Spring

T.J. Maxx at Ellsworth Place mall in downtown Silver Spring is permanently closing today, January 3, 2025. The store was one of several buzz-generating additions to the mall when the property was revitalized a decade ago. T.J. Maxx is also closing a location open for a similar length of time in Boston, suggesting this may be more a decision regarding expiring leases and rent increases, rather than a local issue. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine Ellsworth Place would want to see T.J. Maxx depart the property, as a major draw for foot traffic at the retail center.

Burger King Burtonsville remodeling update (Photos)

Massive, sharp-looking Burger King logos have been attached to the facades of the Burtonsville location at 15703 Columbia Pike at Burtonsville Crossing. The franchisee is looksmaxing the restaurant building, and doubling the drive-thru lanes, but the new BK Sizzle store design concept is apparently not in the cards here for now. Menu boards have been installed in the drive-thru, but there was also a pile of small boulders in one lane. Don't go to bed before the King, even in Burtonsville!

Silver Spring luxury apartment tower converting to affordable housing

If you needed any further evidence that there is little demand for new luxury apartments at the absurdly-inflated market rate rents of Montgomery County today, look no further than The Premier at 8711 Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring. The building, newly constructed a little over a decade ago, has been sold to BrookWynn Capital and Affordable Homes & Communities for $42 million. This partnership plans to convert more than half of the units to affordable housing. Such new buildings across the county - the same buildings our elected officials and the Abundance Bros. tell us all zoning rules must be tossed to make way for over every square inch of MoCo - are riddled with vacant units, which must be filled by other means ranging from college dorms to illegal Airbnb rentals. That an affordable housing partnership would be the winning bidder for a new, luxury apartment tower tells you all you need to know about the lack of demand for 1-bedroom apartments at artificially-inflated rates.